Child Trafficking In Our Backyard?

PITTSBURGH (NewsRadio 1020 KDKA) – When you think of child trafficking, you probably think of some foreign locale where children are bought and sold into slavery. It turns out, the United States is second in the world for women and child trafficking for sex, exploitation and slavery and it’s happening here in Pittsburgh.

KDKA-AM’s Larry Richert spoke to Brian Shivler, founder of Resolution Hope, an organization with the goal to abolish child trafficking. The organization is not just spreading the word, but is actively saving children.

“We just had a rescue a couple of weeks ago in Downtown Pittsburgh of a 17-year-old girl who had been trafficked since she was 11-years-old,” says Shivler. “This is something that most Americans are aware of that happens in other countries, but have no idea it is happening here in the U.S.”

Human trafficking is estimated at $34 billion worldwide, and is second only to drug sales in generating illegal money. In a recent hearing before the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security of The Committee On The Judiciary House Of Representatives testimonies were made that there are currently 100,000 American girls caught in the net of the sex slave trade industry.

“What we’re doing is working hard to educate Americans that this is happening,” says Shivler. “We don’t just want to educate people, we want to empower them to do something about it.”